Exposure to sugar in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, from conception to around the age of two and a half, increases the risk of developing anxiety in adulthood, according to a new study.
Sugar exposure in the first 1,000 days of life, from conception to around the age of two and a half, may leave a lasting mark on mental health, increasing the chances of anxiety years later, according to a new study.
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Sugar rationing during early childhood was associated with differences in sweet food preferences, psychiatric and mental-health outcomes and structural differences in the brain.
“Knowing the full impact that sugar can have on our physical and mental health, across our lifespan, could help inform public health policy and reshape our diets,” Hana Navratilova, lead author of the study.
Researchers at the University of Surrey analysed the medical data of over 45,000 people born between 1951 and 1956, a period spanning post-war sugar rationing in the United Kingdom and years after restrictions.
The United Kingdom had war and post-war sugar rationing policies from 1940 until 1953, which restricted intake to roughly 40 grams per day for adults.
The study, published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, compared participants who experienced rationing in utero and then up to six, 12, 18 and 24 months of age, or in utero only, with people who never experienced rationing.
People exposed to the longest period of rationing reported lower preference for sweet foods and significantly lower risk of anxiety in adulthood. Their risk of anxiety was 33% lower than that of those never rationed.
Rationed groups also developed anxiety and depression later. The median age of anxiety onset was around 62 years in long-rationed groups compared to 55 years in the never-rationed group.
Sugar consumption rose rapidly once rationing ended, the researchers noted, yet the effects of early restriction persisted for years.
“Despite increased sugar consumption after rationing amongst participants, early nutritional environments appear to have lasting relevance for mental health,” said Nophar Geifman, professor at the University of Surrey and senior author of the study.
Why does this happen?
The first 1,000 days of life are a critical window for brain development, and nutrition during this period can cause lasting structural changes in the brain, the authors noted.
Previous research cited by the authors suggests that sugar-rich diets can reduce the density and availability of serotonin neurons, which are critical for mood regulation and early restriction may protect these pathways.
